


Your Stitches Are All Out But Your Scars Are Healing Wrong

by Gay_as_fuck



Series: There's Going to Come a Day When You Feel Better (but when that day is coming who can say) [3]
Category: Fire Emblem Echoes: Mou Hitori no Eiyuu Ou | Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Non-Sexual Intimacy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 01:14:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11116797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gay_as_fuck/pseuds/Gay_as_fuck
Summary: Lukas' body actually gives out. Forsyth and Python try taking care of Lukas and attempt to understand just exactly how he feels. Something that he can only describe as better.





	Your Stitches Are All Out But Your Scars Are Healing Wrong

**Author's Note:**

> I SWEAR I HAVE A PLAN FOR THIS STORY! some big angst is coming up but I just have to get Python and Forsyth to understand a little more about how Lukas works and that's the point of this particular installment. but never fear pain is coming for next chapter! I'm really glad you guys have liked this story and hopefully the next installment will work better! today's title is from 'One More Time With Feeling' by Regina Spektor

When Lukas woke up he wasn’t sure where he was. That should have been worrying. He lifted himself up on his elbows with a considerable amount of effort. He glanced around, seeing the two people sleeping on either side of him. 

Forsyth and Python were both fast asleep next to him. That was what caused him to remember. He had taken their invitation to sleep in their tent. He would thank them later, but he had work to do. Clive was probably expecting him to show up, or worse he had gone to check on Lukas only to find that he was no longer there.

His body wouldn’t obey his commands to get up. All of his energy seemed to have been spent sitting up slightly. He tried to lift his left arm to test what energy he had. He only managed to lift it a few inches above the ground. 

Damn it, he couldn’t work like this.

He dropped his arm back down and considered trying to stand again. However, he knew that he didn’t have the energy to do so no matter how much he wanted to. It seemed any energy he had had been spent trying to sit up. 

Forsyth mumbled something under his breath and shifted slightly which drew Lukas’ attention. The other man was partly splayed out across his side of the mat. He looked relaxed and content, a set of emotions which almost never decorated his features. 

Lukas wished he could relax. Sure, he could sit around with Clive for a game of cards and not have the constant stress on his shoulders. It didn’t feel good, however. For Lukas relaxation was just the opposite of stress. If he could get no emotional return from relaxation he saw no reason for it. 

Lukas wasn’t sure exactly what someone else would be feeling as they looked at Forsyth. Would the moment be silly or sweet? Watching other people sleep was not something most people talked about outside of private conversations.

All he knew was that he didn’t want anything bad to happen to Forsyth. Why he couldn’t say, but he knew that Forsyth deserved to rest. He could imagine how other people might work, though with himself it was a different story.

Last night he had mentally filed Python and Forsyth into the category of good things. It was a category reserved for things that made him feel a little less numb in what he could only assume was a good way.

They didn’t make him feel good exactly. There wasn’t anything that could, but they made him feel a way that wasn’t numb or bad. So, by the process of elimination, it was probably a positive emotion.   
While Lukas was staring at Forsyth and trying to figure out how he should feel, Python woke up. Python gave a groan and rolled over, hitting his face against Lukas’ back.

“Oh,” Lukas commented in his rather crisp monotone. 

“Good Morning Lukas” came Python’s groggy reply.

“Good Morning Python.” Lukas was just as blandly pleasant in the mornings as he was any other time of the day.

“I figured you would already be up helping Clive or something.” Python commented as he sat up fully and rubbed the back of his next.

“I would be, however, my body refuses to move any further. This seems as if it should be worrying.” Python gave a dry laugh at his friend’s comment. 

“You’ve burned out Lukas, it happened to Forsyth all the time when we were kids. You’ve probably been working towards this for a while now. If I had to guess the only reason it happened now was that your mind let down its guard.” Lukas sighed and leaned back down as Python pressed his hand against Lukas’ chest.

“How long will I be like this?” Python gave Lukas a quick once over after his friend’s question, taking a moment to debate the answer.

“Maybe just today, though it could last a few days. Faye will probably resign you to bed rest for a couple anyways once she sees you no matter how long it lasts.”

“There’s work to do.” Lukas offered, hoping it would somehow convince Python to help him get up and do at least some planning and accounting. 

“Yeah, work for other people. You’ve done your fair share, time to leave the heavy lifting to us.” Python reached over Lukas and shook Forsyth softly. Forsyth grumbled something and turned away. Python stood up and moved over to kick Forsyth who finally reacted and woke.

“Do you have no kinder way to wake me?” Forsyth asked, bitterness heavy in his tone.

“Well maybe if you woke up before I had to resort to kicking you.” Forsyth bit back a reply when he noticed that Lukas was in the room.

“Why aren’t you with Clive?”

“My body has given out on me.” Forsyth frowned and sat up. Python stood over Forsyth, his eyes also fixed on Lukas.

“This is why you can’t overwork yourself. Just relax and you’ll feel better by tomorrow.” Forsyth stood and patted the dust off of his tunic. 

“We should go tell Clive,” Forsyth commented, drawing a stare from Python.

“Yeah, no shit. Let’s go.” Forsyth gave a huff but started out the door with Python and without further complaint. 

“Tell him I can do some work,” Lukas called after them, though neither acknowledged his plea. 

Lukas sighed, there was work to be done and he couldn’t do it. The idea of is duties piling up on him made his body grow a little more exhausted. If he could just do his work now he wouldn’t have to be exhausted later on.

Still, neither Python or Forsyth seemed to be willing to let him do it. Clive probably wouldn’t be much better. He had done his best up until then to keep Clive out of his personal business. 

Clive loved to share the stories of his life with Lukas over a game of cards or a personal meeting and Lukas was happy to listen. Clive’s openness to share how he felt to Lukas gave him somewhat of an idea on how he should react to different situations. 

There was also something about the personal time he spent with Clive that made him know he was important and wanted. The more Clive talked to him the more Lukas could assume that his presence was useful and liked. It was something his brother had never given him.

It sounded selfish, to only fight and work for the kindness Clive would show him, but it was his only motivation.

He did his best to hide his emotional state from Clive. As far as the general knew Lukas’ only problem was that he couldn’t convey emotion, not that he couldn’t feel them. There were a few emotions Lukas could feel, they were numb, bad, worse, and something that must be a positive emotion.

The only way he knew that he felt bad was that his body would react when he felt that way. His stomach would clench, his head would become heavy, and he would be exhausted more than usual.

The positive emotion, that one was newer. It had taken him half a year to identify it as something positive because it was something that didn’t share the physical symptoms of feeling bad. Or what he assumed was bad.

Lukas frowned at himself. He was thinking more and more about his problems recently where as he usually avoided them. The idea of other people knowing how he felt and helping him was extremely odd. 

Lukas lay there for a while, wrapped up in his own head, until Python and Forsyth returned. They were bickering as always, about something to do with Clive.

“He doesn’t hate you Python, he just hates the way you act.”

“So he hates me.” Python rolled his eyes at Forsyth. Both were carrying armfuls of different pouches and bottles.

“Were you even listening to me! He hates the way you act!” Forsyth was becoming increasingly more agitated. He was clearly resisting the urge to fling his arms in the air, and with them the supplies he was holding.

“Yeah, I act a certain way which makes up part of who I am correct?” Forsyth, still fuming, had to agree on that one.

“So then he hates a part of who I am.” Forsyth opened his mouth to retort and probably actually flying his supplies this time when Lukas spoke up.

“What did Clive say?” Python and Forsyth turned to Lukas, seeming to have forgotten everything outside of their conflict. 

“Oh, he says that you need to take it easy,” Python commented, moving over to the mat and placing his things down next to Lukas. 

“He also said that he’ll tell our tent mates to stay out for a while.” Forsyth walked over as well and sat down on the other side of Lukas.

“You are staying right here and we are to take care of you. We also stopped by the healing tent. Faye gave us all this stuff. Both seemed really worried about you.” 

Lukas didn’t acknowledge the two but both assumed he had heard them. Python took a blue bottle and a cotton ball. He began covering the cotton with the brownish liquid inside. Forsyth was doing something similar on the other side of him.

“Take your shirt off, we’re dealing with that bruise first.” Lukas, with great effort, reached down and started to peel his tunic off. Logically, he shouldn’t be this weak. Something bad crept into his thoughts.

“Hey! Stop that!” Python barked, turning to stare at Lukas.  
“What?” Lukas inquired, his hands clenched around his tunic which was half way off.

“Beating yourself up. I don’t know if you can figure out how badly you’re feeling but you’ve got to stop it right now.” Lukas didn’t have a response to that, instead, he finished de-robing. His bruise had turned a deep purple color which Forsyth poked at tentatively.

“Please stop that,” Lukas asked which cause Forsyth to pull back. He only came close again, however, softly dabbing the damp cotton ball down on Lukas’ skin. Python did the same, starting from the other side of the injury.

“Lukas”, Forsyth started, his eyes still focused on his task. “We’re going to have to help you deal with the whole, emotions thing. It is seriously affecting you.” Lukas grimaced, both from the pain and from what he knew would be an exhausting conversation.

“I’ve explained it the best I can.” 

“We know, and now we’ve got to do something about it.” Python piped up as he slowly worked his way across Lukas’ stomach.

“What can you feel?” Forsyth asked as he glanced up to give Lukas a sympathetic glance.

“I feel numb most of the time. But I can also feel bad, and well worse. And there’s something else which I think is a positive emotion.” Gave a hum as he tried to figure out what to say next. Python stopped his work and looked up to Lukas.

“If you can’t tell if something is a positive emotion how can you tell if one is negative?” 

“Physical symptoms mostly. I feel bad physically so I can only assume I feel bad mentally, that and it feels different from the usual numbness.” Python nodded to show that Lukas’ explanation made sense before leaning down again.

Once the two had finished covering Lukas’ chest in some sort of slave Forsyth poured two different bottles into a small glass.

“Drink,” Forsyth commanded, bringing the glass up to Lukas’ lips. Lukas downed the substance which tasted disgusting. Python offered Lukas something else which Lukas sipped at quickly to get the disgusting taste out of his mouth. 

The taste of what Python had offered him had a fruit and familiar taste. Ale. 

“Are you giving him that this early?” Forsyth chastised Python, who just shrugged. 

“If that stuff tastes half as bad as it smells it’d probably make him puke without something to chase it off.”

Lukas was content to listen to Forsyth and Python bicker. He half hoped that they would be distracted from their earlier conversation. Forsyth agreed with Python for once, stopping their argument, and went back to questioning Lukas.

“What makes you feel good?”

“Nothing.” Forsyth frowned at Lukas and in the silence Python took his chance to ask a more specific question.

“Well, what makes you feel less bad?” 

“I’m not sure exactly, but if I had to guess?” Lukas shrugged his shoulders before answering fully. “You two and Clive.” Python gave a dry laugh.

“We really matter that much to you huh?”

“Yes.” Forsyth reached out one hand and put it over Lukas’.

“Though Python might never say it, you matter just as much. This is the most I’ve seen him motivated to help in years.” Forsyth offered a smile to Lukas who tried to return it with as much sincerity as possible. 

“Just try and relax. We’ll take care of you.” Python said as he reached and grabbed Lukas’ other hand.


End file.
